I am a sober member of Alcoholics Anonymous. Sober, by the Grace of God, since July 24, 1984.

Sunday, November 04, 2007

Standard Time

This is one of my favorite days of the year... It is 5:44 a.m., but feels like 6:44 a.m. to me. So, I can go out and run before church this morning! By noon, it will be time for a nap, and heck, I just might take one.

Night watch was spectacular! It really was a spectacle to see so many people in my tiny house. We ate almost all the food, which I have never seen happen at night watch - and believe me, there was a LOT of food. We only got three phone calls, 2 looking for meetings, and one real live 12 step call.

Do you know how risky it feels to be telling you all my dream? I hope that it will become reality, so I better start saying it out loud (or writing it out loud)...

I want to go to nursing school.

There is a program at the University where I got both my bachelor's and master's degrees - it is for people who are already working full time in healthcare, who have bachelor's degrees, but not in nursing... who want to get a bachelor's in nursing. It is a 2 year program... the classes are at night and the clinicals are on the weekends. I know it has to be expensive, this kind of wonderful program does not come cheap. What I don't know is if there is a wait list. As a woman 5 weeks away from her 56th birthday, I do not have the luxury of a year or two wait.

There are prerequisites, 2 of which I have already completed - Anatomy and Physiology I and Anatomy and Physiology II. I would need to take Chemistry and Microbiology before admittance. I could easily get that done before next summer.

So, I feel so excited just because I am moving forward on a dream. I thought I was too old. I thought my lot in life was cast. But I am going to put one foot in front of the other and move forward with this. If it is possible, it will happen. If it is not to be, it will not be. But I feel so very excited.

"We are privileged to communicate with each other to a degree and in a manner not very often surpassed among our nonalcoholic friends in the world around us." -- As Bill Sees It, p.231

I can not think of a more fitting prof. for you. Religious school and nursing school, marathons and a full time job, daily blog, daily meetings, daily run. Damn Girl!!I'll bet you'll look hot in a nurses uniform!You are so brave little jalepeno

I thank you so very much for sharing your dream. I'm sitting here with tears because I am so moved. You go. The most beautiful, unexpected gift I've received in sobriety is watching sober women follow their wildest dreams. It gives me hope. Particularly in educational pursuits. I am 30 hours away from a degree and keep thinking it's too late. But you, and others, have shown me otherwise. I am so grateful for your bravery.

YOU are incredibly inspiring and I am so grateful to be able to share with you. In the back of my mind is a possible career change as well. Not now, I am too new to recovery and that is where I need to focus. But it is encouraging to see the promises come true for others and know that it can happen for me too. Whether you go for it or not...whether it becomes a reality or not... the fact that you can consider it, investigate the reality of it and with God's will pursue it.. makes me awestruck. Amazing!